Hooke's law

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noun Physics.

the law stating that the stress on a solid substance is directly proportional to the strain produced, provided the stress is less than the elastic limit of the substance.

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Origin of Hooke's law

1850–55; named after R. Hooke who formulated it

Words nearby Hooke's law

Hooke, hooked, hooked rug, hooker, Hooker's green, Hooke's law, hook, line, and sinker, hooknose, Hook of Holland, hook or crook, Hooks

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for Hooke's law

Hooke's law

/ (hʊks) /

noun

the principle that the stress imposed on a solid is directly proportional to the strain produced, within the elastic limit

Word Origin for Hooke's law

C18: named after Robert Hooke

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Hooke's law

Hooke's law

[ huks ]

A law stating that the stress applied to a material is proportional to the strain on that material. For example, if a stress on a metal bar of ten newtons per square centimeter causes it to be compressed by four millimeters, then a stress of 20 newtons per square centimeter will cause the bar to be compressed by eight millimeters. Hooke's law generally holds only up to the elastic limit of stress for that material. See also modulus of elasticity.